Vets with PTSD could take service dogs into public places under Mississippi bill

Shari Swift talks to The Spectrum about taking her specially trained dogs Shasha and Shea down to Las Vegas after the shooting to help people struggling with PTSD, October 5, 2017.
Jordan Allred / The Spectrum & Daily News

Army veteran Jacob Burns simulates having a panic attack as he works with Jersey, his new support dog, as part of a training session together last fall in Collinsville, Ill. The non-profit Got Your Six Support Dogs provides the specially trained service dogs at no charge to veterans like Burns who suffers from post-traumatic. A House bill in Mississippi seeks to add veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of those allowed to have service animals in any area or building open to the public.(Photo: Jeff Roberson, AP)

Veterans serve our country, but often they may need someone to serve or help them cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.

And some lawmakers hope man's best friend may be the answer. Service animals are most associated with the visually or hearing impaired, but a House bill seeks to add veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of those allowed to have service animals in any area or building open to the public.

House Bill 944 has passed the House is awaiting action in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.

Rep. Mac Huddleston, R-Pontotoc, said the bill adds veterans with PTSD to the list authorized to have a service animal.

“This is something very much needed,” said Rep. Tommy Reynolds, D-Charleston.

Alvin Buckley, a veteran and employment specialist with the nonprofit veterans outreach group Soldier On, agrees with Reynolds.

"Everyone says dogs are man's best friend. I think it could help veterans with PTSD," said Buckley, who has suffered with PTSD.

PTSD is defined as an anxiety disorder that occurs following the experience of a frightening, distressing or traumatic event or from witnessing a traumatic event.

A support animal or service animal is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability.

The Department of Veterans Affairs says owning a dog can lift moods or help with stress. Dogs can help people feel better by providing companionship, the federal agency says.

Veterans Affairs says there is not enough research to know if dogs actually help treat PTSD and its symptoms, but evidence-based therapies and medications for PTSD are supported by research. Veterans Affairs says the advantages of service dogs are:

They help bring out feelings of love.

They are good companions.

They take orders well when trained, which can be of comfort for a service member or veteran used to giving orders in the military.

They are fun and can help reduce stress.

They are a good reason to get out of the house, spend time outdoors, and meet new people.

Recovering from PTSD is a process. Evidence-based treatment for PTSD helps people do things they have been avoiding because of their PTSD, such as standing close to a stranger or going into a building without scanning it for danger first, according to Veterans Affairs.

Veterans Affairs says dogs can help an individual deal with some parts of living with PTSD, but they are not a substitute for effective PTSD treatment.

The National Center for PTSD says about seven or eight of every 100 people will have PTSD at some point in their lives. About 8 million adults have PTSD during a given year, the center says.

Florida-based Paws for Veterans rescues dogs from shelters and provide them free to veterans. The group says the only cost would be traveling to Florida to pick up the dog and attend a two-week training class.

A combat veteran suffering from PTSD can complete an application. It can take up to six months to complete processing of an application. For more information, visit Paws at www.pawsforveterans.com or call 321-425-4189.

Also, Retrieving Freedom, an organization that trains and places service dogs, has a facility in Olive Branch. The telephone number is 662-209-2799.

Charles Dwyar of Retrieving Freedom works with 3 of 8 incarcerated U.S. military veterans at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl who train service dogs for disabled veterans in a program sponsored by Soldier On.(Photo: BR Hawkins/For Clarion Ledger)

Charles Dwyar of Retrieving Freedom said the organization has a program in operation at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl where inmates in the program train service dogs for veterans.

Dwyar said the organization's service dogs are selected and trained specifically for service work with veterans. There is an application process to obtain a service dog through the program, but there is a two-year waiting list, Dwyar said.